How Much Do Nurses Make?

The nursing profession is one of the most grueling, yet rewarding fields to enter. If you’re the type of person that wants to get into healthcare and really make a difference in people’s lives, this may just be the right career for you.

To become a nurse, however, you need to be prepared to be on your feet all day, work overtime when necessary and make quick decisions that can influence the health of a patient.

With all of this hard work and dedication you’ll also need to be ready to take on a career that can leave you with the feeling that you have actually accomplished something and are making a difference in this world.

Schooling Required for Nursing

To become a registered nurse you will have to invest between 2 to 4 years of your time to studying the subject. As a minimum, you’ll need a nursing Associates degree, but in order to get a higher salary, you may want to complete your bachelor’s degree. Some students even aim to obtain their Master of Science in Nursing, check out this page for more information. This is a good way to ensure proper training and education in the field.

After your schooling is done you’ll need to apply for a state license before you can be accepted for work.

There are many different nursing opportunities available including the following:

How Much Do Nurses Make

As a registered nurse you can expect to make on average between $20-$36 per hour plus more if you work overtime.

The pay rates fluctuate from state to state though and there is also a big difference between the pay rate for a registered nurse and other nursing professionals.

A registered nurse first starting out will usually make anywhere between $19 up to $32 during the first year while a nursing professional that has been working for at least 20 years will be earning an average of $23 to $42 per hour.

With experience and further education a registered nurse can move up the ranks to become a supervisor or work in an operating room. With these types of promotions come an increased potential for higher pay.

For example, a certified registered nurse anesthetist earns an average salary of $135,000 per year and a pediatric endocrinology nurse can expect to bring home $81,000 annually.

With the wide range of nursing options available, there are varying salaries that go with them. Basically, the more experience you have, the more years you have worked and the nursing specialty you choose will determine your pay.

As you can see, while a regular nursing salary for an R.N. isn’t spectacular, the salary can increase substantially if you specialize in certain nursing fields.